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222Rn concentration level and inhalation exposure assessment for the population residing in Singhbhum copper belt of Jharkhand

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Abstract

The present investigation has been carried out in the copper mineralized region of Jharkhand, India. Apart from the natural deposit of copper minerals, which is found along with uranium in this region, different industrial sites of copper were accounted for, in the study. The integrated radon measurement technique has been used with dosimeter deployment interval of 90 days. The indoor 222Rn activity concentration varied at different locations from 58.4 to \(100.7\,{\text{Bq}}\,{\text{m}}^{ - 3}\) with an average of \(79.8 \pm 14.5 \,{\text{Bq}}\,{\text{m}}^{ - 3}\). In the outdoor environment, annual average 222Rn activity concentration varies from 36.5 to \(75.8 \,{\text{Bq}}\,{\text{m}}^{ - 3}\) with an average of \(57.9 \pm 14.0 \,{\text{Bq}}\,{\text{m}}^{ - 3}\). The corresponding annual inhalation dose due to indoor and outdoor 222Rn activity concentration to the inhabitants of the region has been worked out as \(1.95\,{\text{mSv}}\,{\text{year}}^{ - 1}\) to \(3.28\,{\text{mSv}}\,{\text{year}}^{ - 1}\) respectively with a mean of \(2.60 \pm 0.38\,{\text{mSv}}\,{\text{year}}^{ - 1}\).

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr R. M. Tripathi, Head of the Health Physics Division of BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre), Mumbai for technical support. We extend our thanks to the administration of the Uranium Corporation of India Limited, Jaduguda for providing the required facilities and transportation from time to time. We are grateful to the residents of the villages around the copper mineralized area under study. Despite their conservative lifestyle, they allowed us to conduct the study in their dwellings. We also thank our team at the Environmental Assessment Laboratory of Health Physics Unit, Jaduguda for their help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, IIT (ISM), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India

    Asheesh Mishra & S. K. Sharma

  2. Department of Mining Engineering, IIT (ISM), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India

    D. C. Panigrahi

  3. Environmental Assessment Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

    V. N. Jha & R. L. Patnaik

  4. Uranium Corporation of India, Ltd, Jadugora, Jharkhand, India

    A. K. Sarangi

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  1. Asheesh Mishra
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  4. V. N. Jha
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  6. R. L. Patnaik
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Contributions

Asheesh Mishra and V. N. Jha designed the research plan and prepared the manuscript with contribution from S. K. Sharma and D. C. Panigrahi and A. K. Sarangi. Asheesh Mishra and R. L. Patnaik carried out the radioactive surveys and sample analyses. Asheesh Mishra and V. N. Jha contributed to the data analyses and interpretation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Asheesh Mishra.

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Mishra, A., Sharma, S.K., Panigrahi, D.C. et al. 222Rn concentration level and inhalation exposure assessment for the population residing in Singhbhum copper belt of Jharkhand. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 326, 1159–1172 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-020-07419-8

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